Italian festa Bellissimo

Up to 8000 “felt a little bit of Italian” at Lower Trafalgar St and Trafalgar Park on Sunday.

The Nelson Italian Festival hosted by Club Italia Nelson was in full throttle like a Vespa, reached soprano-like in the opera, and al dente like the pasta nonna used to make.

Organiser Flavia Spena says the event was “brilliant” with food and wine, cooking classes, crafts, football tournaments, and Italian vehicles from Ducati motorcycles to Alfa Romeo and Fiat.

Traditional music and dance, including the high-energy tarantella and pizzica performed by Nelson-based group Medidance, was also amore.

Originating from southern Italy, the tarantella is fast, fiery and full of spins – once believed to cure the bite of the tarantula – and the pizzica features wild, hypnotic rhythms that once fuelled ancient healing rituals.

Roma-born Flavia added the festival reminded her of her home country.

“One thing about the street fairs in Italy is there are a lot of people and families sitting and eating, and this is really what we feel, everybody feels a little bit of Italian,” she says.

“The weather was beautiful, and everybody was smiling, that’s the most important thing for me.”